1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to composite building articles, in particular to composite fiber cement building articles incorporating one or more radiation curable components, including formulations and methods of making the composite articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fiber reinforced cement (FRC) products are increasingly being used in a variety of building applications and climatically different regions. FRC products have gained favor for their inherent fire, water, pest and mold resistance, as well as their general affordability. However, continued cyclic exposure to wetting-drying cycles, freezing-thawing cycles, UV exposure and atmospheric carbon dioxide can cause physical and chemical changes in FRC products over time. FRC building materials can also be subject to physical damage during handling shipping and installation.
Coatings, and laminates have been developed to protect FRC products to reduce the detrimental effects of exposure and handling and simultaneously provide a decorative surface for FRC products. In cases where the fiber cement articles are treated by the application of a surface coating, the end product often still remains susceptible to both physical and chemical modes of degradation. Coatings and laminates are inherently surface treatments and are susceptible to loss of adhesion or delaminating from a substrate upon repeated exposure. While is it well known to use adhesion promoters or coatings or adhesives that are chemically reactive with the substrate to improve adhesion, this strategy is not always successful in maintaining adhesion over many years of outdoor exposure in extreme climates or severe conditions, such as wet environments experiencing many freeze/thaw cycles. What is needed is a means of maintaining a decorative surface on FRC materials in extreme conditions.
Similar to environmental damages, mishandling during installation can also negatively impact the service life of an FRC product. Mishandling may cause the applied surface coating or laminate to crack, tear or suffer abrasion damage or delamination. If the integrity of the surface coating or laminate is compromised, repeated exposure to extreme environments may lead to loss of adhesion and damage to the underlying FRC substrate. What is needed is a means of maintaining FRC product integrity in spite of surface damage to a coating or laminate.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an FRC composite with a decorative or functional surface, such that the appearance and integrity of the surface is maintained even in extreme environments, and which simultaneously provides a means of maintaining the integrity of the composite should its surface become damaged or compromised. There is also a need to substantially reduce the number of treatments required to allow the composite achieve a requisite level of performance in a given application. To this end, there is a particular need for an FRC product that is simultaneously highly wear resistant, water resistant, resistant to damage over a long exposure to freeze/thaw conditions and is capable of achieving these performance characteristics with substantially reduced of cost and materials.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a composite article and methods of making that article which will overcome or ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.